Dallas Stars center Logan Stankoven. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Stars send top prospect back to AHL hours after calling him up

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 2/20/24

Dallas Stars top prospect Logan Stankoven’s NHL debut will have to come another day.

Stankoven was called up to the NHL on Tuesday morning from the Texas Stars and then promptly sent back just a few hours later in a bit of a perplexing move.

With forward Evgenii Dadonov placed on long-term injured reserve last week, and center Matt Duchene missing Monday’s game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden, Stankoven was expected to make his NHL debut Tuesday night against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Logan Stankoven got up at 4:30am to catch a flight to NYC.
Arrived at 1pm, too late for pregame skate and has not had one practice with the Stars
Matt Duchene is available to play.
Probably best Stankoven doesn’t play tonight
— Bruce LeVine (@BruceLeVinePuck) February 21, 2024

However, Duchene skated with the team on Tuesday morning and played in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to the Rangers. While there’s no question the Stars believe Stankoven is NHL ready, there’s no further clarity on when he’ll actually be recalled again.

“He’s done everything you need to do to earn an opportunity,” Stars head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters on Tuesday, via NHL.com. “He had a good training camp, went to the American League and is leading the league in scoring. I think we all recognize what kind of player he is and his skills. If he gets in the lineup, we’re going to try to put him in a spot where he can use those things to help us.”

NEW for @TheHockeyNews:

Get Ready for Logan Stankoven. He's the real deal. #TexasHockey recalled the 20-year-old — who leads the AHL in scoring as a rookie — and he'll make his NHL debut tonight.

My blog for THN ⤵️https://t.co/vAmStVhhn1 pic.twitter.com/KQmzKTmgOg
— Jacob Stoller (@JLStoller) February 20, 2024

A second-round pick of the Stars in 2021, Stankoven leads the American Hockey League in scoring in his first season in the league with 24 goals and 57 points in 46 games.

The 20-year-old forward put up 79 goals and 201 points across 107 games his last two junior league seasons in the Western Hockey League. He also helped Canada win a gold medal during the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, notching three goals and 11 points in seven games.

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